1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a garlic formulation and more specifically to a garlic extract formulation having uses in the agricultural environment.
2. Description of Related Art
Several garlic and water-based compositions or solutions have been introduced into the marketplace as registered pesticides. These garlic/water agricultural compositions have found uses in controlling pests in the following agricultural environments: Brassica vegetables, bulb vegetables, cereal grains, citrus, cotton, cucurbit crops, forage crops, fruiting vegetables, kiwi, leafy vegetables, legume vegetables, nut trees, ornamentals, peanuts, pome fruit trees, root and tuber vegetables, small fruits and berries, and stone fruit trees. It is commonly believed that the repellent power of a garlic/water solution derives from its presence, smell, or ingestion on the crops. The treatment with garlic/water compositions offers a cost effective, environmentally-favorable pest irradication program alternative to conventional chemical pesticides.
The technical level of prior art manufacturing methods are generally incapable of measuring a percent by weight garlic extract. In general, the prior art garlic/water agricultural compositions known to the inventors utilize concentrations of approximately 10% or less by weight garlic extract. Garlic extract is the amount of solution obtained after separating the solution from substantially all of the solid particles of crushed garlic in a carrier such as ethyl alcohol or water.
Generally, the chemistry of the garlic extract is determined by the conditions of extraction. In general, there are three common extraction techniques. The harshest technique is steam distillation. The garlic is boiled and extracted from the condensed steam. Steam distillation yields diallyl disulfide as the primary garlic extract component. A second technique employs a solvent such as ethyl alcohol or other carrier at room temperature. This method yields the oxide of diallyl disulfide, called allicin, as the primary garlic extract component. Allicin is the source of the odor of garlic. A third technique employs a solvent such as ethyl alcohol at a temperature below freezing. This technique yields alliin, a molecule with optical isomerism at the sulfur and carbon atoms as the primary garlic extract component. An enzyme converts alliin into allicin. The prior garlic/water solutions known to the inventors derive their garlic extract from a pasteurized crushed garlic or puree (high temperature extraction) or room temperature extraction.
Most manufacturing methods use a straight-run, continuous, or semi-continuous methodology in which the process variables such as the density, specific gravity, and carrier content of the crushed garlic or garlic puree input material are not accurately measured. As a consequence, known manufacturing methods are incapable of accurately measuring a percent by weight of garlic extract in their final garlic extract composition.
Garlic extract compositions or solutions generally have been sold as xe2x80x9cstand-alonexe2x80x9d products for use in commercial agriculture as a foliar applied insect repellents, competing against other standard foliar and soil-applied pesticide and miticide products that control (kill) insects. The inventors discovered that a garlic extract in an amount of 10% or less by weight of garlic extract can be used as a synergist to increase the overall performance of other standard chemistry foliar and soil-applied products that are commercially available. For example, the inventors discovered a synergistic effect of the pesticide ENVIREPEL, manufactured by Cal Crop USA, and that carries Federal Registration No. 68826-1, a 10% garlic extract. The inventors work also included expanding the scope of products that can be synergized in the same manner to include fungicides, agricultural use anti-biotics, herbicides, defoliants, nutrients (fertilizers, plant spray aids, non-nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium (non-NPK) based materials, cytokins, kelp, humic acid, etc.) and spray adjuvants (i.e., materials that promote the wetting of a surface or spreading/penetrating properties of agricultural-use spray mixes).
The role of a garlic extract solution as a synergist developed from comprehensive field test work using a 10% by weight garlic extract solution as an insect repellent, and in combination with other pesticide products to increase combined product performance. Applications where the garlic extract solution was applied before or after the conventional chemistry treatment agent (e.g., pesticide or herbicide) did not show a measurable difference in performance of the treatment agent. However, the data showed that each time that the garlic extract solution was mixed with a treatment agent and applied at the same time, the combination of the products worked faster and was more effective than either product used alone.
What is needed is a process of making a high performance garlic extract solution containing a quantifiable amount of garlic extract that fosters the production of certain compounds and stabilizes the compounds before they are changed by enzymatic activity.
An agricultural composition of a garlic extract solution having a concentration of greater than 10% by weight garlic extract and a treatment agent. Still further disclosed is a method of making a garlic extract solution of a predetermined concentration. The method includes determining the amount of a garlic puree, separating a substantial amount of a garlic extract from the garlic puree, and adding a carrier, such as an inert liquid, to the garlic extract to form a predetermined concentration of the extract. The method of the invention identifies one key in making an effective garlic extract solution is to foster the production of certain garlic bulb derivatives and stabilize these compounds before the compounds are changed by enzymatic activity.
The invention is particularly suited to improving the efficacy, including extending the residual performance, of agricultural treatment agents including pesticides, mitacides, fungicides, herbicides, defoliants, nutritional materials, spray adjuvants commonly used in commercial agricultural. The exact mechanism that allows the garlic extract solution of the invention to alter the treatment agent""s performance is not totally understood at this time. However, under the conditions defined by the invention, treatment agents that are known to be synergized by garlic extract solutions can be used to alter their chemistries to produce improved formulated treatment agents with increased field performance and increased residual activity.
The formulation of useful products of the composition of the invention or by the method of the invention are several. These include, but are not limited to, the formulation of garlic extract solutions with another product in a mixing tank to produce a new product that would be packaged in a single container; formulation of a garlic extract solution with another product(s) in a container or tank that would eventually be applied to an application site; and formulation of a garlic extract solution with another product(s) in a container that would eventually be diluted and applied to an application site.
Additional features and benefits of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description, figures, and claims set forth below.